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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
There's only one thing wrong with this set of three CDs. It's far too cheap. Anybody buying it ought to make a donation to charity. In many ways it's a model recording. All the performers are Baroque specialists, but there's none of the lack of drama that sometimes goes with early music recordings.
You won't find refugees from Romantic opera with excessive vibrato, just perfect, clear singing. Wonderful as the singers are, the real star of this performance is the orchestra. Every note seems to have been lavished with care. Every phrase has been carefully thought out, so that one of the joys of this playing is the constant phrasal and rhythmic irregularity. There is rhythmic drive without any force or aggression. The violinists stroke their strings. The recording is worth buying just for the sinfonia at the beginning of Act 3.
You won't find refugees from Romantic opera with excessive vibrato, just perfect, clear singing. Wonderful as the singers are, the real star of this performance is the orchestra. Every note seems to have been lavished with care. Every phrase has been carefully thought out, so that one of the joys of this playing is the constant phrasal and rhythmic irregularity. There is rhythmic drive without any force or aggression. The violinists stroke their strings. The recording is worth buying just for the sinfonia at the beginning of Act 3.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
A good bargain for a sterling performance.
20 Feb 2012
Amazon Verified Purchase
This recording's primary virtue is that it is a COMPLETE version. In terms of completness, it beats even the one in the 1960's by Brian Priestman and Maureen Forrester.
The performance itself is roughly on par with Priestman's, with Judith Malafronte singing a very fine Serse, backed by Brian Asawa as Arsamene, and Lisa Milne as Atalanta.
David Thomas as Elviro is also forceful. But the same could alas could not be said of Jennifer Smith's Romilda.
Malafronte's Serse is boyish sounding and musically very alert, singing with the exact amount of nuance and expressivity. Her voice lacks the fullness of Rasmussen (under Rousset), nor does it has the force of Forrester.
Nonetheless, she manages the different facets of this role very competently - her lyrical momenets are effective as her forceful moments, and the characterisation is right on the spot.
Brian Asawa's Arsamene is vocally very refined, and this is the second recording of him of this role (the other one not available internationally with Paula Rasmussen as Serse).
Jennifer Smith is clearly past her prime by the time she records this with McGegan, and this is a serious miscast of a lead role. She neither has the lustre nor expressivity to carry through the role's demands, but struggles through the gorgeous arias. A great pity. Lisa Milne should better be casted as Romilda here, with her silvery tone and impeccable Handellian style.
The other controversial portrayal is Susan Bickley's Amastre.
She sings the full role of this character in this recording, but her singing is a bit uneven.
This bargain version does not contain any libretto, so not even if you have Priestman's 'full version' could you find the recitative between Serse and Amastre that is only present in this version.
The performance itself is roughly on par with Priestman's, with Judith Malafronte singing a very fine Serse, backed by Brian Asawa as Arsamene, and Lisa Milne as Atalanta.
David Thomas as Elviro is also forceful. But the same could alas could not be said of Jennifer Smith's Romilda.
Malafronte's Serse is boyish sounding and musically very alert, singing with the exact amount of nuance and expressivity. Her voice lacks the fullness of Rasmussen (under Rousset), nor does it has the force of Forrester.
Nonetheless, she manages the different facets of this role very competently - her lyrical momenets are effective as her forceful moments, and the characterisation is right on the spot.
Brian Asawa's Arsamene is vocally very refined, and this is the second recording of him of this role (the other one not available internationally with Paula Rasmussen as Serse).
Jennifer Smith is clearly past her prime by the time she records this with McGegan, and this is a serious miscast of a lead role. She neither has the lustre nor expressivity to carry through the role's demands, but struggles through the gorgeous arias. A great pity. Lisa Milne should better be casted as Romilda here, with her silvery tone and impeccable Handellian style.
The other controversial portrayal is Susan Bickley's Amastre.
She sings the full role of this character in this recording, but her singing is a bit uneven.
This bargain version does not contain any libretto, so not even if you have Priestman's 'full version' could you find the recitative between Serse and Amastre that is only present in this version.
6 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Excellent Handel Conducting
27 Sep 2009
Amazon Verified Purchase
No one in the world can bring Handel alive like conductor Nic McGegan. This is a gorgeous rendition of the opera from the very beginning, where one hears the famous "Handel's Largo" to the closing notes. I had to listen to it again as soon as I finished my first hearing.
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